coursework

Essay for POLI2046

General guidelines

The purpose of these guidelines is to give you a general idea of the structure and

content a good essay should have (see also the “Essay and Reference Guide” in the

module’s moodle page). It is not intended though to be an exact replica of the essay you

need to write for the coursework.

Introduction

The first part of the essay should introduce the research question and give the

reader a sense of why this research question is important. In this context, you should

discuss why that particular question, why it is relevant or why someone might care about

providing insights into this political outcome.

The introduction should also discuss how you will try to answer the question. In

other words, it introduces the cases, the data as well as the method of analysis to be used.

It might summarise (but not necessarily) your expectations, and will also include a

reference to how the essay will be structured.

Theoretical framework/literature review

After the introduction, you should generally elaborate on your answer(s) to the

research question. Scholars often use existing theories to answer a research question, just

like you will be doing in the essay. You need to give the reader a sense about what a

scholar (or scholars) has said about the problem and what are the different theoretical

frameworks that could be applied. However, be also aware that you might need to adapt

an existing theory to fit a new research question. This is one of the primary ways that we

advance our understanding of politics. Be (constructively) critical!

If you have more than one theoretical framework, the convention is to discuss all

your explanations in this section.

Data and methodology

In this section you will briefly discuss the case selection (e.g. small-N, large-N) ,

the dataset employed (if any) as well as the methodology of analysis (e.g., case study,

MSSD, MDSD, process-tracing, QCA, logistic regression analysis). In the case of a

small-N analysis, you should discuss the country/countries being studied and talk about

how/why these countries were selected. A strong paper will provide concrete evidence

that the case(s) and the method(s) are suitable for the type of focus comparison being

used.

Dependent (outcome) variable

This section deals with the conceptualization and measurement of the phenomena

(or concept) being explained in the essay (e.g. fragmentation, volatility, closure,

consolidation). You have to choose why you (1) have adopted a certain

conceptualization/definition and not others, and (2) why you will be using certain

indicators and not other(s). Here is also where you briefly explain how the indicator(s)

selected by you are calculated.

Independent (explanatory) variables

Here is where you deal with the factor you want to use to explain your outcome

(dependent variable) and formula your hypotheses. In the case with the outcome you need

to let the reader know what do you mean by this or that phenomenon and how you are

going to measure it. If you have more than one explanatory variable, the convention is to

explain all of the variables in this section.

Analysis/ Discussion of the results

In this section you are supposed to undertake your analysis, trying to answer your

research question. If you are running a large-N statistical analysis, this is where you

should plug the results of your regression and interpret your findings. If you are doing a

small-N analysis, you can create a summary table with the data of your independent and

dependent variables, and then interpret the results.

It is very important that you interpret your results thoroughly, giving the reader a

clear sense of how you know whether the data provides support for your hypotheses (or

not).

Conclusions

In the conclusion, you should summarise the main findings and consider how they

relate to previous findings in the literature. You might also think about any possible

limitations to your study as well as possible implications for other related phenomena.

Finally, you might also include suggestion to more forward the research agenda on the

particular topic.

References

Below is an example bibliography. Be sure to include all your references, including the

source of your data!

Casal Bértoa, F. (2013): “Postcommunist Politics: On the Divergence (and/or

Convergence) of East and West”, Government and Opposition, v. 48, n. 3, pp. 398-433.

Epperly, B. (2011): “Institutions and Legacies: Electoral Volatility in the Postcommunist

World”, Comparative Political Studies, v. 44, n. 7, pp. 829-853.

Haughton, T. and Deegan-Krause, K. (2015): “Hurricane Season: Systems of Instability

in Central and Eastern European Party Politics”, East European Politics and Societies, v.

29, n. 1, pp. 61-80.

Possible essay topics

1. Party System Over-Institutionalization: a Blessing or a Curse?

2. On the Consequences of Type of Regime Change for the Institutionalization of

the Slovak and Moldovan Party Systems

3. Militarizing Politics: Have Military Dictatorships Hinder PSI in South-east Asia?

4. Does Political Culture Matter? An Analysis of the Role of Values in former

Yugoslavian Party Systems?

5. Why Not in This Continent? The Role of Religion in African Party Systems

The above are just some examples of topics you can choose from when preparing

your essays. They should also inspire you, so you can choose the topic you feel more

comfortable with or you are interested in.